Plan your climb · Guide
Best time to climb Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro can be climbed in any month. Some months are simply kinder than others. Two dry seasons, two rainy ones, and a summit that sits below freezing all year regardless.
- Warmest, clearest
- Jan–Feb
- Busiest
- Jul–Sep
- Wettest
- Mar–May
- Summit temperature
- −10°C
The four seasons
January to mid-March
Short dry season · our pick
Warm, stable and noticeably quieter than the northern summer. Clear mornings, afternoon cloud building over the forest, and the best odds of dry rock on the Barranco Wall. Occasional brief snow on the summit, which is a photograph rather than a problem.
Mid-March to May
Long rains · we advise against it
The forest becomes genuinely wet and the trail below 3,000 m turns to mud. Summit views are often closed in. If your dates are fixed and fall here, take Rongai — the northern side is the driest approach — and expect to be cold and wet on the first two days.
June to October
Long dry season · busiest
The most reliable weather of the year and, consequently, the most people. Machame and Marangu can feel like a queue in August. Nights are the coldest of the year. This is also peak safari season, when the migration is in the northern Serengeti, so it pairs well.
November to December
Short rains · underrated
Afternoon showers rather than all-day rain, few climbers, and the mountain washed clean. Christmas and New Year fill up months ahead; the first three weeks of November are among the emptiest on the mountain.
Month by month
| Month | Conditions | How busy | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Dry, warm | Moderate | Excellent |
| February | Dry, warm, clearest skies | Moderate | Excellent |
| March | Dry early, rain from mid-month | Quiet | Good, then poor |
| April | Long rains | Very quiet | Avoid |
| May | Long rains easing late | Very quiet | Avoid |
| June | Drying out, cold nights | Building | Good |
| July | Dry, cold, windy above 4,500 m | Busy | Excellent |
| August | Dry, cold | Busiest | Excellent but crowded |
| September | Dry, cold, settled | Busy | Excellent |
| October | Dry, warming, cloud late month | Moderate | Very good |
| November | Short rains, afternoon showers | Quiet | Good value |
| December | Showers early, drying by Christmas | Busy late | Good |
Three things that matter more than the month
How many days you take
Weather you cannot choose. Acclimatisation you can. An eight-day Lemosho in April will get more people to Uhuru than a five-day Marangu in August. If you are weighing a shorter itinerary against a better month, take the extra days.
The full moon
You leave Barafu around midnight. Under a full moon the glaciers and the scree are visible without a headtorch, and the crater rim at 5 a.m. is extraordinary. Worth planning your dates around if you have the flexibility — tell us and we will work backwards from it.
Temperature, honestly
The trailhead is humid and around 25 °C. By Barafu you are in a dry alpine desert near freezing. On summit night, with wind chill, it is commonly around −10 °C and can be colder. This range is the same in every month of the year — which is why the packing list matters more than the calendar.
